e-ARC, 304 pages
Release Date: May 19, 2020
Published by: Razorbill
Read from: May 10-15, 2020
These Witches Don’t Burn, #2
Source: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW:Death
For fans of: Paranormal, Romance, LGBTQ+, YAIn this gripping, romantic sequel to These Witches Don’t Burn, Hannah must work alongside her new girlfriend to take down the Hunters desperate to steal her magic.
Hannah Walsh just wants a normal life. It’s her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn’t exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.
When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she’s desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have—their power—Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she’s one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.
Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan’s magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can’t figure out how to save her—and the rest of the Witches—she’ll lose everything she’s ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I remember when the predecessor to this was released. I waited around to read it, and afterward I wasn’t completely sold on it. But this one definitely changed my view of the series.
“Seeing his smiling senior portrait makes my entire body recoil. They never show his mug shot. He’s always this clean-cut grinning boy, This is why mom tried to ban me from watching the news.“10%
It’s senior year and Hannah should be focusing on school and her new girlfriend. Instead, she’s having to keep an eye on the angry Hunters set on taking everything the witches hold dear. Everyone is looking towards her to end them, but she can barely hold herself together after the attack. Can she fake it without anyone finding out?
“She sacrificed her own safety to save her covenmate. There’s power in that.”“14%
I normally start with the thing I loved most in a review, but for this one I’ll do the opposite since it was the ending and it’s still fresh in my mind. I definitely didn’t care for the ending. I think it could have been an entire plot point for another book! I felt like it was tacked on at the end and they had to hurry and tie up all the loose ends because there wouldn’t be another book. Kinda disappointed me to be completely honest. This person has done ALL OF THIS and only gets like 7% of a demise?! Yeah, I just didn’t feel like that fit.
“If we’re all doomed anyway, I’d rather go down fighting.”“35%
However this time I did like the writing style. This one had non-stop action and I found I was clutching my pearls after every chapter ending. I remember in the first one I thought it was basic. Well in this one, she more than makes up for it. (But I DO think she needs another word for scared lol She used that WAY too many times.)
“Why do they keep killing us?” “53%
I also loved that this time it seemed like Sterling wasn’t afraid to go THERE. There were plenty of sticky spots that I was glad she didn’t try to go a different route with, because it would have changed the story and made it less believable. (Yes I know this is a story about witches lol) But that also makes me think… Is THAT why there is no 3rd book? Definitely made me think. She also wasn’t scared to go there in other ways. There’s also so many passages that mirror the way I feel about discrimination in the world today and I loved it. I wrote down so many passages, I had some quotes left over that I couldn’t add to my review. Showed me that people who say fiction doesn’t have some truth to it are liars.
“Why do they hate us so much?”“53%
But the best part about this book is by far the amount of time we get to spend with the other Clans and how we learn so much more about them. It would have helped to have had this in the first book, but I don’t think it was too late to have it in this one. Especially with the plot. It just sucks that the first one almost made me not get to this one to see it.
“If you have any ove at all for the Sisters’ creations, please help us […]”“67%
And I liked the romance as well. This one did get more heavy than the last. But I was glad to see them still together and still going strong. And omg, Morgan is still my favorite. She reads and she was just perfect. And I was able to recognize one of the books she was reading lol If you’ve read this and know which one I’m talking about 10 points! lol
Trust is a funny thing.”“77%
Last but not least, there’s the mystery aspect. I began to suspect there would be a mystery to it about 45% in. By 70% in I had solved it. But yes I know, everyone is not me. I think if you don’t read as many mysteries as me, you’ll definitely be surprised and you’ll be upset that there wasn’t another book too lol
“Light it up.”“93%
I really liked this one! (I know, shocker since I’m not normally a fan of witchy books.) Now I need to get my hands on the prequel! I wish the prequel had been available before the first one, but still…… But now that I have fallen for this series, I have to get my hands on it. This book definitely changed my view on a lot of things!
Overall, I give this
What about you? Did you read the first book? Have you read the prequel? Do you like witch books? Let me know in the comments!